Electric permutation-lock



G. E. DOLAN AND S. MILLER. ELECTRIC PERMUTATION LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 19:7.

1,328,729. Patented Jan. 20,1920.

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WITNESSES: INVENTORS I 1 aeoryelfiozan W I AZ'ymaZdi/iZZefl 7 G. E. DOLAN AND S. MILLER.

ELECTRIC PERMUTATION LOCK.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 3.19M- 1 328 729 Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

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ELECTRIC PERMUTATION LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3.1911.

Patented an. 20, 1920.

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ELECHHC PERMUTATION LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1911.

Patented Jan; 20, 1920.

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WITNESSES: INVEN TOR5 eorgezfiozan M/QZQ ,j zyzzfa Z0 1/2759, WM wwyijzwuma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE E. DOLAN AND SIGWALD MILLER, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; SAID DOLAN ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO WILLIAM '1. LLOYD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ELECTRIC PERMUTATION-LOCK.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed May 3, 1917. Serial No. 166,094.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be itknown that we, GEORGE E. DOLAN and SIGWALD-MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at the city and county of San'Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Permutation-Locks, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to permutation locks; and has for its object to provide a device of this character which shall be impossible of surreptitious operation by any of the means relied upon in picking a mechanical permutation lock, and which also, upon the manipulation of any of the keys not necessary to the combination, will sound an alarm until the proper combination of keys is subsequently operated.

Mechanically operated permutation locks are frequently picked by'touch or sound, the keys in the combination giving off a differout sound from the idle keys or ofiering a diflerent resistance to touch. In the present invention the lock is controlled electrically, the combination being effected by manipulatingfcertain switch plugs or keys which have been previously put in position to close the operating circuit when depressed. There are amultiplicity of these eys or plugs of any series included in the operating circuit, and those which are normally closed cannot be detected in appearance from. those which are normally open, so that the-operator has no way of determining which keys should be depressed except that he be informed as to the combination.

Any one or more of the keys or plugs may be so disposed as to keep the operating circuit'normally opened until depressed, while if one not intended to be depressed shall be so manipulated, it will act to close a second circuit which will operate an alarm. This alarm circuit will remain closed and can be broken only by the subsequent manipulation of the proper combination of keys.

The'electrical apparatus is housed within a' casing provided with a cover, which cover is preferably locked with an electrically controlled latch whose operation also depends upon the manipulation of thesame combination of keys as is required for releasing. the main lock. Therefore, access cannot. be had to the parts within for thepurpose of putting them out of commission.

The arrangement, while of general utility,

is especially well suited for locking automobiles on streets and for safes and thelike, on account of the alarm feature in connection therewith.

One form which our invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a diagram of a device embodying our invention.

Fig.2 shows a sectional view of the hous- 7 ing, illustrating therein the lock and actuating mechanism therefor.

Flg. 3 showsa sectional view, taken on Fig. ,7 shows a detail side view-of the switchboard.

Fig. 8 shows a cross section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, showing the switch plugs in normal position.

Fig. 9 shows a vertical, longitudinal section of the casewith the cover lifted.

Fig. 10 shows a vertical, transverse section on line 1010 of Fig. 4.

The form illustrated herewith is merely a convenient embodiment and comprises a locking bolt 10, preferably retracted by a spring 11 and movable to locking position by a spring-retracted plunger 12, or other suitable device, and'held in locked position by means of a dog 13, the latter being connected to and operated bya solenoid magnet 14. This magnet and the dog are preferably inclosed within a casing 15, as are also the other parts of the apparatus. A battery 16, or other suitable source of current, operates the magnet to raise the dog and thus release the bolt for withdrawal from locked position. The electrical connections for the magnet 14 include a wire 17 running to a terminal or post 18 on a switchboard '19, the latter being also positioned within the casing. Upon the board is a series of depressible switch plugs 21, of non-conducting ma thereof. Two rows of plugs are shown fitted within apertures formed in the switchboard,

'- to condition it for subsequent operation by although any arrangement of a number of plugs may be employed. Adjacent to each aperture in the switch board and exposed to the plug on opposite sides are contacts 23, all connected in series and having the posts 18 for one terminal and a post 24 at the other end of the board forv their other terminal. From the latter post a wire 25 runs to the magnet 14 and a return wire 26 to the battery 16 completes the circuit.

If the plugs be disposed in their openings, with their short ends down, the metallic bands 22 thereon will be in engagement with the contacts 23 and the operating circuit for the magnet 14 will, therefore, be closed. To render the circuit normally inoperative and the manipulation of certain of the plugs any one or more of the plugs may be reversed end for end, which, on account of the offset position of the metallic bands 22 thereon will bring the latter in a plane above the contacts 23, thus breaking the operating circuit at these points. 7

In Fig. 1 the plugs labeled D, J and M are shaded to represent the fact that they are reversed and normally out of engagement with their contacts 23. Therefore, it is necessary, in order to actuate the magnet 14 and release the lock, that these plugs D. J and M be depressed sufficiently to bring themetallic bands thereon into position for closing the contacts 23.

The casing 15 is provided with a hinged cover 27, on which is carried .a set of springretracted push-buttons 28 corresponding in number and position to the plugs 21 and which are suitably labeled by number, letter or otherwise. Depressing the push-buttons corresponding to the plugs D, J and M or those normallyout of electrical connection with their contacts 23 closes the circuit to the magnet or rather conditions the circuit for subsequent closing through a master switch 29 which is closed by depressing a key 30. This key has a toothed rack 31 at its lower end in mesh with pinions 32 on shafts 33, which shafts carry cams 34 adapted to engage beneath a plate 35 lying beneath the plugs, whereby to restore the latter to raised position after they have been depressed. This action of restoring the plugs, however, occurs after the closing of the switch 29 and after the magnet 14 has been actuated to release the lock 10.

In order that an alarm may be sounded upon improper action of the keys, we provide a second series of contacts 36 on the switchboard similar to the contacts 23, positioned below-the. same and far enough away so that the metallic bands 24 may not close them at the same time that they engage the upper set of contacts. The contacts 36 in the second set are connected in multiple and have binding terminals 37 and 38 on opposite ends of the switchboard. From the battery 16 a wire 39 leads to a solenoid magnet 40 and thelatter is connected by a wire contact plate 44 which closes a pair of spaced terminals 45 of an alarm circuit 46 in which a bell 47 or other audible device, is employed.

Normally all of the switch plugs 21 are so positioned that none of the contacts 36 on the board are closed. The plugs positioned for closing the lock actuating circuit have their metallic bands 22 spaced farther above the contacts 36 than the bands on the other plugs. Therefore when any of the plugs, except the inverted ones D, J and M for instance, are depressed, a closing of the contacts 36 adjacent thereto occurs which completes the circuit to the electromagnet 40 and actuates the circuit closer 44, causing the alarm to be operated. Once the alarm circuit is closed by the contact plate 44 it remains in this condition even though the plug inadvertently orincorrectly depressed should be raised. The said contact plate 44 is retracted only by means of a second electromagnet 48 whose actuating circuit 49 is in series with the contacts 23. A key controlled switch 50 is preferably included in the circuit 49. Therefore it is necessary, in order to actuate the magnet 48 and with draw the contact plate 44 from closed position, to depress the proper combination of push-buttons which will close the actuating be done only by one familiar with the combination and, therefore, the alarm will con-- tinue to sound until the proper person is notified.

As a protection against tampering with the electrical apparatus within the casing we provide a lock 51 for the hinged cover 27, which is preferably spring-pressed to closed position and releasable by an electromagnet 52, the latter having its operating circuit 53 in series connection with the contacts 23 and controlled by a key switch 54. This makes it impossible for one to open the casing except byv manipulating the same combination of keys which close the main lock-actuating circuit.

From the foregoin description it will be seen that the l0cking olt 10 can be released only upon the actuation of the electromagnet 14, the circuit of which magnet includesa series of switch plugs 21 which are positioned so as to require the manipulation of one or more to put the circuit in condition circuit through the switchboard. This can so that it may be operated when the master key 30 is depressed. The position of the plugs 21' is changeable so that a variety of combinations may be effected. These plugs are so arranged that the depression of any one not essential to the combination will close ,the circuit which actuates the circuit closer 44 and completes the alarm circuit 46. The alarm circuit will continue closed until the contacts l is withdrawn by the magnet 48, which can be done only by depressing the right combination of plugs; also the casing is itself locked by the latch 51 which is contacts according to releasable only by actuation of the electromagnet 52, the operating circuit ofwhich can only be closed by depressing the same combination of switch plugs as are .necessary to lclose the actuating circuit for the main loc r. are notclosed when the main lock circuit is actuated on account of the presence of the normally opened master switches 50 and 54 therein. I

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts hereinshown. and described may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In an'electric circuit control, a circuit,

a series of depressible plugs movable to close the circuit, a member engageable with the plugs for restoring the latter to normal position after operation thereof, rotatable means to eiiect operation of said member,

and depressiblemeans to operate said rotatable means.

2. In combinationwith a circuit and two spaced pairs of superposed'and alined contacts included therein, endwise reversible plugs having annular circuit closing means thereon, said annular means being located between the ends of the plug and closer to 'one of the ends thereof than to the other of their inward movement Both of the last mentioned circuits contacts accordin to the osit'ion of the plugs, and a mem er on whlchveithe'r of'the ends of the plugs are .enlgiingled so as'to have ted thereby.1

'4. In combination with a circuit and; a

seriesof depressible plugs controlling said.

circuit, a member engageable with the plugs for restoring the latter to, normal position after operatlon thereof, means to raise and lower said member, 'a depressible element having rack teeth, and pinions inmesh with the rack teeth and havmg connectionswith said raising and lowering means to actuate the latter.-

' 5. In an'electric circuit control, a circuit,

a series of depressible plugs movable to close the circuit, a master switch in the circuit,

means to close said switch, and means opz-erated by said switch closin means and ms;

eluding a rotatable device or restoring the depressed plugs to initial position.

6. In an electric circuit vcontrol, a circuit, a series of depressible plugs movable toclose the circuit, amaster switch in the circuit, v

means to close. said switch, and means operated by said switch closing means for restoring the depressed plugs to initial position including a mem er' engageable'with the lower ends of the keys, a cam for-mov ing the member, and means operativel con necting the cam to said switch c osing means. I

7. f In an electrlc circuit control, a clrcuit,

a series of depressible plugs movable to close the circuit, a master switch in the circuit, a

Zmember engageable with the plugs for restoring the latter to normal position after operation thereof, rotatable means toactu ate said member and a manually depressible means for operating said master switch and for simultaneously effecting actuation of said rotatable means to restore the plugs to normal position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. DOLAN.-

'SIGWALD MILLER.

Witnesses JOHN H. HEBRING,

W. W. I'IEALEY. 

